Neuroscience Research to Benefit from 3-D Printing of Brain-Like Structures

Advanced three-dimensional printing techniques were used to generate a biological construct that incorporated neural cells and mimicked brain cell activities for use in applications ranging from cell behavior studies to improving understanding of brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases.

Researchers have attempted to study the brain by modeling the architecture using two dimensional (2-D) in vitro cell culturing methods. While those platforms attempt to mimic the in vivo environment, they do not truly resemble the three dimensional (3-D) microstructure of neuronal tissues. Development of an accurate in vitro model of the brain remains a significant obstacle to understanding the functioning of the brain at the tissue or organ level.

Investigators at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (North Wollongong, NSW, Australia) applied a 3-D printing approach to the problem of developing a useful in vitro brain model. They reported in the July 14, 2015, online edition of the journal Biomaterials that they had developed a new method to bioprint 3-D brain-like structures consisting of discrete layers of primary neural cells encapsulated in hydrogels.

Brain-like structures were constructed with a Stratasys Ltd. (Rehovot, Israel) Connex Objet350 3D printer using a bio-ink consisting of a novel peptide-modified biopolymer, gellan gum-RGD (RGD-GG), combined with primary cortical neurons. The ink was optimized for a modified reactive printing process and developed for use in traditional cell culturing facilities without the need for extensive bioprinting equipment. Furthermore, the peptide modification of the gellan gum hydrogel was found to have a profound positive effect on primary cell proliferation and network formation. Neural cell viability combined with the support of neural network formation demonstrated the cell supportive nature of the matrix.

"This study highlights the importance of integrating advances in 3-D printing, with those in materials science, to realize a biological outcome," said senior author Dr. Gordon Wallace, head of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science.

"This paves the way for the use of more sophisticated printers to create structures with much finer resolution. We are still a long way from printing a brain but the ability to arrange cells so as they form neuronal networks is a significant step forward."

Related Links:
ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science
Stratasys Ltd.